Rathinamoorthy R, Raja Balasaraswathi S, Madhubashini S, Prakalya A, Rakshana J B, Shathvika S
Department of Fashion Technology, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore 641004, India.
Department of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bengaluru 560102, India.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 10;903:166553. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166553. Epub 2023 Aug 24.
Elastane blended apparel is one of the most preferred items by consumers with fashion interest due to its enhanced comfort and fit. The environmental impact and microfiber release due to elastane usage is often ignored due to its lower percentage in apparel. To address such a gap, this study aimed to quantify and characterize the microfiber release behavior of cotton/elastane knitted fabric. Cotton/Elastane blended knitted fabrics with three different proportions of Cotton/Elastane (98/2, 95/5, and 92/8) were considered for this analysis. Upon laundry and quantification, the results of the study showed that 98/2 Cotton/Elastane fabric released 21.04 ± 12.46 microfibers/sq.cm, whereas, 92/8 Cotton/Elastane fabric released 46.56 ± 6.21 microfibers/sq.cm. An increase in elastane proportion increased the overall emission of microfibers per unit area of fabric. The results also showed a higher contribution of elastane fibers in the total microfibers released. 13.40% of the total fibers released were elastane microfibers in the case of 98/2 Cotton/Elastane fabric, whereas, 92/8 Cotton/Elastane fabric released 19.60% of elastane microfibers. The elastane percentage of the fabric showed a significant positive correlation with total microfiber emission (r = 63%) and elastane microfiber emission (r = 62%). Repeated laundering results showed an overall reduction in microfiber emissions in subsequent washes. However, interestingly, an increase in the wash cycle increased the proportion of elastane microfibers in the total microfibers released. 92/8 Cotton/Elastane fabric released 20% of elastane microfibers in the first wash and the proportion increased to 36% in the 4 wash. In contrast to that, the release of cotton microfibers is noted to decrease with the number of laundry cycles. As far as the length of microfiber is considered, elastane microfibers are shorter than cotton microfibers. The length of elastane microfibers was higher in the initial wash (98/2 Cotton/Elastane fabric - 352.5 μm; 95/5 Cotton/Elastane fabric - 920 μm; 92/8 Cotton/Elastane fabric - 695 μm) and it is reduced with increment in the number of washes with a strong negative correlation of -0.88. A higher proportion of emissions and lower fiber length are the alarming negative impacts of elastane fibers in apparel. Based on this analysis, it is estimated that one square meter of fabric with a lower elastane percentage (2%) can release up to 2.81 × 10 microfibers into the environment at the first wash. The threatening issues of microfibers on aquatic life, particularly in terms of bioaccumulation and biomagnification, are alarming. Elastane blended fabrics should be given special attention because they can make the problem more serious by posing a risk of chemical leachates, such as bisphenols.
氨纶混纺服装因其舒适度和贴合度的提升，成为了追求时尚的消费者最青睐的服装品类之一。由于氨纶在服装中的占比相对较低，其使用所造成的环境影响和微纤维释放问题常常被忽视。为填补这一研究空白，本研究旨在量化并表征棉/氨纶针织物的微纤维释放行为。本分析选用了三种不同棉/氨纶比例（98/2、95/5和92/8）的棉/氨纶混纺针织物。经过洗涤和量化分析，研究结果表明，98/2棉/氨纶织物每平方厘米释放21.04 ± 12.46根微纤维，而92/8棉/氨纶织物每平方厘米释放46.56 ± 6.21根微纤维。氨纶比例的增加会使织物单位面积的微纤维总排放量增加。结果还显示，氨纶纤维在释放的总微纤维中占比更高。在98/2棉/氨纶织物中，释放的总纤维中有13.40%是氨纶微纤维，而92/8棉/氨纶织物释放的氨纶微纤维占比为19.60%。织物中的氨纶百分比与微纤维总排放量（r = 63%）和氨纶微纤维排放量（r = 62%）呈显著正相关。重复洗涤结果表明，后续洗涤中微纤维排放量总体呈下降趋势。然而，有趣的是，洗涤次数的增加会使释放的总微纤维中氨纶微纤维的比例上升。92/8棉/氨纶织物在第一次洗涤时释放的氨纶微纤维占比为20%，在第四次洗涤时这一比例增至36%。相比之下，棉微纤维的释放量会随着洗涤次数的增加而减少。就微纤维长度而言，氨纶微纤维比棉微纤维短。氨纶微纤维在初次洗涤时长度较长（98/2棉/氨纶织物 - 352.5微米；95/5棉/氨纶织物 - 920微米；92/8棉/氨纶织物 - 695微米），且随着洗涤次数的增加而减少，二者呈-0.88的强负相关。较高的排放量和较短的纤维长度是氨纶纤维在服装中令人担忧的负面影响。基于此分析，估计每平方米氨纶含量较低（2%）的织物在初次洗涤时可向环境中释放多达2.81×10根微纤维。微纤维对水生生物的威胁，尤其是在生物累积和生物放大方面，令人担忧。氨纶混纺织物应予以特别关注，因为它们可能会因存在双酚等化学渗滤液的风险而使问题更加严重。
